On Our Soapbox Blog

Handing out money on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles has earned Father Maurice Chase a nickname: Father Dollar. Host Scott Simon previews our Web profile of the man — and a series about Skid Row that begins Monday on Morning Edition.

SCOTT SIMON, host:

Handing out money on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles has earned Father Maurice Chase a nickname: Father Dollar. You can watch a WEEKEND EDITION profile of him on our YouTube channel, youtube.com/weekendedition. And here's a preview.

Father MAURICE CHASE: I come down here to let people know that God loves them, and I love them. That's the essence of it. Now, this morning I'm going to give out 20 $100 bills.

SIMON: By many accounts, Los Angeles' Skid Row has the largest concentration of homeless people in the country. Police have tried to bring safety to the area, but some say that law enforcement has gone too far.

NPR's Renee Montagne will join Ina Jaffe on the streets of Skid Row. Get a firsthand look at how this homeless community works. That's Monday on MORNING EDITION.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio.